Bonnie Prince Charlie: experts reveal just how 'bonnie' prince actually was with death mask recreation

Bonnie Prince Charlie has been famed throughout history for his 'bonnie' looks and charm - and now a team of experts have given modern eyes a glimpse of how the former royal would have looked.

A new death mask has been created by the team at University of Dundee's Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification to depict the Prince as he would have looked during the Jacobite rising in 1745. The mask is said to be the most accurate and lifelike recreation of the Prince's face so far.

Prince Charlie, grandson of King James II of England and VII of Scotland, is known for leading the unsuccessful Jacobite rising and has been famed throughout history for his good looks and charms. The historical figure has been introduced to a new generation following his depiction in the popular television show Outlander.

The death mask shows the prince with blond ringlets and blotchy, red patches on his face.

Barbora Vesela, a masters student who initiated the project, said: “I have looked at previous reconstructions of historical figures and was interested as to how these could be done differently. I wanted to create an image of what he would have looked like during the Jacobite rising.

“There are death masks of Bonnie Prince Charlie that are accessible, while some are in private collections. We also know that he suffered a stroke before he died, so that made the process of age regression even more interesting to me.”

Researchers on the project studied previous masks made of the Prince. This included masks at the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery and The Hunterian Museum in Glasgow.

To create the final picture, around 500 images of the masks were used to create a 3D model of an accurate depiction of his face.

Ms Vesela said: “It has been a pleasure to work with these artefacts. The access I have been given has been incredible.

“There are moments, when you are working with the masks, that it suddenly strikes you that this was once a living person. We don’t tend to think about the age of people when we study history, but Prince Charlie was just 24 years old when he landed in Scotland and to visualise how young he was at this pivotal moment in history is fascinating."

She added: “He has some interesting features. Beauty is a very subjective thing, but Bonnie Prince Charlie does have distinctive features, such as his nose and his eyes, that encourage you to study him.

“Hopefully this recreation encourages people to think about him as a person, instead of just a legend. At the same time, it is important not to romanticise him or the era of history.

“There are many accounts of him but having a face to look at helps us to view him as a human and not just a name from history.”

Tobias Houlton, who specialises in craniofacial identification and forensic imaging, said: “This has been a hugely exciting project. Through many hours of hard work, Barbora has given us an exciting new insight into European history.

“This recreation will undoubtedly fascinate the public and the added dynamic of using artificial age regression to bring him back to the Jacobite era, when he was most famous, showcases the range of expertise we have here at the University of Dundee.”

The mask will go on display as part of the University of Dundee's annual Masters Show. The exhibition is due to open to the public on Saturday (19 August).